Nikki Kliest
Assistant Life and Arts Editor
Keeping in tune with the current revival of 60s-inspired psychedelia, Pepperdine’s Frederick R.Weisman Museum of Art is hosting its first exhibition of the year, with colorful works by artist Carolyn Mary Kleefeld.
“Visions From Big Sur” is comprised of over 75 paintings and drawings that were created between 1983 and 2008. The collection was influenced by the rise of Humanistic psychology and Eastern religion and embraces concepts of Zen, flow and the holistic individual.
“Carolyn grew up with an appreciation for art,” said Michael Zakian, director of the Weisman Museum of Art, and “also for the beauty and the freedom of nature — nature being a liberating force.”
Kleefeld grew up in Santa Monica and Beverly Hills. However, after having two children and getting a divorce, she went back to school and took classes in psychology and poetry. In 1974, she moved to Malibu and wrote poetry that would later appear in her first published book of poems in 1979.
In 1980 Kleefeld left Southern California and moved up to a rural town, Big Sur. With a breathtakingly beautiful home on a cliff 500 feet above the ocean in Big Sur, one would expect her to take a picture postcard approach to her paintings. However, Kleefeld’s interpretations of nature are far more abstract.
“She’s not interested in just painting nature as beautiful,” Zakian said. “Because she sees nature as this primal elemental force, that’s what she paints.”
Part of the collection includes what Kleefeld calls her “cosmic abstractions.” These dramatic large-scale paintings are rich with color and are the eye-catching element in the exhibition.
“Many of her paintings are accidents that come from a drip or splatter,” Zakian said. “She told me what moves her most is color, and quite often she’ll think of a color and then will put it in a painting and develop from that.”
Zakian described one of the paintings in the collection, “Mountain Impromptu” as a moment of creation.
“Even though she’s not copying the way a mountain looks, you get the feel of how a mountain came into being,” Zakian said. “You see this force uprising.”
Kleefeld also did other works at the same time that are more fantasy-like and are considered to be inspired from her childhood pastime of reading fairy tale stories about princesses, princes and knights.
“Carolyn did a lovers series, which is really sweet and fantastic,” Zakian said. “You can see princes, princesses, horses racing through the clouds and butterfly wings. They are very happy lyrical pieces.”
Kleefeld also did a few paintings of trees, which Zakian noted as having a very autobiographical meaning.
“There is a painting of a tree that was for her friend and neighbor who passed away a few years ago,” Zakian said. “He moved to Big Sur in the 60s and lived almost like a monk. He was at peace with the world and she always admired him for that. You can tell there’s a lot of personal meaning in this painting.”
There are also a series of painted portraits of Kleefeld’s friends, as well which Zakian calls Kleefeld’s “automatic drawings.” One called “Big Sur’s Fire Face” depicts the fire that struck Big Sur earlier this summer.
“The art came to the museum earlier than we expected because Carolyn was evacuated due to the fire and had to pack and ship all of her art,” Zakian said. “Her drawing, ‘Discombobulation,’ depicts what it was like not knowing if the fire was going to destroy her home and belongings. You get that sense of fear.”
The drawings are created spontaneously and often begin with a shape drawn with colored pens, which create a fluid medium to lay down color quickly.
“They’re so intricate,” Zakian said. “They have a jewel-like quality.”
Senior Felicia Boyle, who is a student worker said that Carolyn Kleefeld’s works are very diverse.
“My first impression when I walked in was that I was really surprised it was one artist,” Boyle said. “They include a lot of styles and push the limits as far as what we think as art — if you allow yourself to absorb it, it can be a really good experience.”
The museum did what is called a “soft opening” for the exhibition, however, it’s official opening is Sat., Sept. 13, and will include a reception for the artist from 5 to 7 p.m.
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For general information, call (310) 506-4851 or visit the Web site, www.arts.pepperdine.edu/museum
09-11-2008
